


Through the Night

by probablydreaming



Series: Clementine AU Alternate Timeline fics [2]
Category: Dream SMP-Fandom
Genre: Childbirth, ClementineInnit, Death in Childbirth, I'm not adding many tags because this is just for the people who wanted it, Implied/Referenced Death in Childbirth, Orphans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:01:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29655864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/probablydreaming/pseuds/probablydreaming
Summary: AU Timeline for my fic Clementine in which Tommy doesn't survive.Their souls may only grace this earth for a few shared moments, but their lives are forever defined by the other's. Clementine can't seem to escape her reputation as the daughter of Tommyinnit, may he rest in peace, but she has no memory of the man. Every birthday is bittersweet as her whole family gathers to mourn a man she only knows from stories and mirrors.Fundy is haunted by the memory of his dead uncle. He watched the life drain from him, and he can't seem to forget.Phil goes every day mourning his son and raising the daughter Tommy left behind. It's a difficult challenge, and Phil isn't sure he's mentally able to handle it all.
Series: Clementine AU Alternate Timeline fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179197
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've been reading the Requests Book, you'll recognize the first chapter as Chapter 3 of that. So, just read chapters 2 and 3 if you're from there.

Being with Ghostbur was exhausting for Fundy. His relationship with his dad was complicated before, but now that his dad was an amnesiac phantom, it was difficult to interact without feeling tired and sad. He would forget things that happened and deny what Fundy explained, and it was taxing for him to explain everything when he was so adamant against it. 

That’s why Fundy was taking a long and thoughtful walk in the woods. He was trying to relax after a particularly stressful encounter with Ghostbur that ended up talking about the current whereabouts of Sally the Salmon. Fundy didn’t like talking about his mother to his dad because it usually just ended up making both of them upset, and this particular instance left Fundy quietly hiking with tears in his eyes. 

He wasn’t quite sure where he was or where he was going; all he knew was that he was in the woods, and he was far away from L’Manberg. It was just how he liked it. 

A terrible scream so rudely interrupts Fundy’s quiet walk. He turns around wildly, wondering if the scream came from behind him toward L’Manberg. When he noticed it was a noise instead coming from in _front_ of him. His curiosity got a hold of him further away from civilization. 

In the middle of nowhere woods, someone was out there. And it sounded to Fundy like that someone was hurt. 

He had to investigate. 

After running out of breath, Fundy thought maybe the scream was just a figment of his imagination. He’d since heard nothing, and he felt like he was running for a little while. Surely he’d encounter who was making that noise by now, right? It couldn’t have been that loud that he heard it from a distance greater than this?

Fundy is about to turn back when he hears it again. It’s louder, so he must be closer. It’s a short but terrifying howl. It sounds as though it has been purposefully muffled after a few seconds, which only piques Fundy’s curiosity and growing worry. 

Eventually, Fundy comes across a clearing. There’s a white tent glowing with the soft light of a torch. Someone is inside of this tent with a torch. 

Fundy approaches the tent when he’s met with a muffled cry again. It’s coming from inside. Someone inside is hurt, and Fundy is overcome with the need to help. 

He wasn’t sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t Tommy. Fundy pulls back the sheet of the tent and is greeted by the teenager's prone form. His face is beaded with sweat, and his eyes are closed in concentration. There’s a wet towel in his mouth in an effort to muffle him, but it’s not doing a great job. He’s still audibly groaning and gasping in unimaginable pain. 

“Tommy?” Fundy asks quietly. It’s a gentle word, but Tommy shoots his eyes open and flinches. He pulls the blanket on his knees up to his chin and cowers back in the bed. 

Surely, this was Tommy, but this wasn’t the Tommy that Fundy knew. 

When Tommy seems to relax from his pain in a few seconds, he pulls the towel from his mouth and yells at Fundy. 

“You need to leave. Right now.” Tommy demands. 

Fundy knows he can’t. Tommy is in so much pain, it appears, and Fundy doesn’t know why but he’s overwhelmed with the need to help him. 

Fundy moves closer, which Tommy doesn’t like. “Tommy, what’s wrong?”

Tommy shakes his head vigorously and asks again that Fundy leaves. Tommy shifts uncomfortably in the bed, and Fundy notices fresh bloodstains on the blanket Tommy is clutching for dear life. 

“Tommy, you’re bleeding!” Fundy exclaims. He comes closer and tries to pull the blanket so that he can get a look at Tommy's wound, but Tommy only yells back at him. 

Tommy begins to ask Fundy to leave when he’s once again gripped with an awful cry of pain as his whole body tenses. Tommy covers his mouth with his hand as he contorts his face in terrible pain. Fundy is genuinely terrified for Tommy. 

Fundy comes closer and puts a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. It’s supposed to be a comforting symbol, but Tommy flinches and cries at the touch. Fundy pulls his hand away like he touched a hot stove, but he remains close to Tommy. 

When the pain passed, Fundy asked again what was wrong. 

Tommy huffs in reply, “Nothing. I’m fine. Please go, Fundy.”

Fundy shakes his head. “No. I’m not leaving. I want to help you, Tommy. Why is that so hard to understand?” 

When Tommy refuses, Fundy takes matters into his own hands. He pulls the blanket back to address the wound Tommy has so he can try to take care of it. 

Once more, Fundy is met with a surprise. 

The fresh blood leaves a tail up Tommy’s thighs to in between his legs. Fundy looks for a cut but notices there isn’t one. What he also notes is Tommy’s swollen abdomen. It looks like he’s…

“Tommy, what the hell? What is happening?”

Tommy whines, “Leave me alone!”

Fundy is not having this anymore. He can’t leave Tommy alone when he’s in so much pain. 

“I’m not leaving until you explain where all this blood is coming from. You’re not wounded, so what happened? Are you hurt?”

Tommy shakes his head and exhales with a shaky breath. 

“I’m having a baby, asshole.” He whines. 

Fundy’s eyes go wide. Surely, that would explain Tommy’s large stomach he had concealed under the blanket and the terrible pained noises he was making, but frankly, that left so many more questions for Fundy. 

Fundy is about to ask these questions when Tommy is met with another contraction. Fundy notices Tommy’s belly tense up as Tommy whines and struggles with a deep pain that ripples through him. 

It’s hard to deny that what’s happening isn’t labor.

And by the looks of it, Fundy’s caught the end of it. Tommy’s contractions are very close together and last quite long. Fundy doesn’t know literally anything about having babies, but what he does know is that it’s not long now until the tent gains a new occupant. 

  
“Is there something I can do, Tommy?” Fundy asks. Worry and fear paint the words across Fundy’s mouth. He’s not sure what he can do, but what he does know is that this is more blood than there should be. 

Tommy lifts his head and shakes it slowly. When the contraction passes, the blond replies. “I just need to have this baby already.”

Fundy nods his head, but he doesn’t know what to do. He decides that he needs to bring it back up and quickly pulls his communicator from his back pocket. 

He quickly texts Phil. Phil knows the most about children on the whole server, so surely he would know what to do. 

Phil replies within seconds, saying to call him. Fundy excuses himself from the tent, and Tommy nods as he works his way through a new contraction brewing. 

“Fundy, calm down. What’s wrong?” Phil opens. Fundy didn’t even realize that he was hyperventilating in a panic until Phil pointed it out. 

“I need help. I’ll send you coordinates, but I found Tommy in pain, and apparently, he’s in labor. Like as in having a baby. And I’m not sure what to do. He’s in a lot of pain, and I think the baby is coming like right now. What do I do?”

Phil takes a long inhale as he tries to process the word vomit of information. “Are you sure that’s what happening?”

“Yes.”

Phil takes a moment to think. “I’m coming, and I'm bringing Niki. She’s a medic, so she can help.” 

“What can I do until you get here?” Fundy asks. He looks back to hear Tommy is still grunting and panting in pain, and he wishes there was a way to help take all of that way. 

“Make sure he’s comfortable, I guess. Tell him not to push until we get there. Just keep him comfortable and support him until we get there. That’s really all you can do.”

Fundy sends Phil the coordinates quickly and heads back inside. 

“Phil says you can’t push until he gets here, okay?” Fundy informs Tommy. Tommy clutches his stomach and shifts himself to Fundy. 

“I can try,” the boy admits. If Fundy looked scared, then Tommy looked terrified. Tommy is trying to put on a brave face for Fundy, but Fundy can see the sheer horror of the situation set in Tommy’s eyes. 

Fundy gets a sinking feeling that Tommy knows this isn’t going to end well. 

“Can I hold your hand?” Fundy asks. Tommy thinks for a moment, but as a contraction hits him, he nods yes and reaches out for Fundy. 

Fundy’s hand is suddenly being squeezed with the force of an entire army, it feels like. Fundy gives Tommy little words of encouragement, but he doesn’t know if it’s true. 

“You’re doing so good, Tommy. Phil will be here soon, and then you can have your baby, okay?”

Tommy can only nod and whimper in reply. When the contraction ends, Fundy’s hand is suddenly let go as Tommy relaxes back into his pillow in defeat. 

“I don’t think I can keep doing this,” Tommy admits. His eyes are wet with tears, but some tiny voice inside Fundy informs him that they aren’t just tears from the physical pain. 

“You’re already doing good, Tommy. I’m sure it will be over soon.” Fundy tries to assure. Honestly, he doesn’t know, but that seems to calm Tommy down. 

“Fundy, this hurts so much,” Tommy whines as he rubs a hand tentatively over his stomach. 

Fundy nods in understanding. “Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did,” Tommy replies snarkily. 

Fundy smiles, “You know what I meant.”

Tommy’s face goes sad, and he mutters, okay. 

“Why are you alone going through this? Why did nobody know you were even pregnant? We could have helped you! Have you been in labor long?” Fundy asks in quick succession. There are probably a hundred questions, and Fundy aims to ask them all. 

“That’s a lot of questions,” Tommy says. He sits back up in his bed just in time to have a difficult pain radiates through his body. 

Fundy again offers his hand for Tommy, which Tommy gratefully takes. “Remember to breathe, Tommy.” Fundy coaxes. 

When the contraction is over, Tommy speaks to Fundy. He doesn’t make eye contact with the fox-hybrid but rather trains his eyes as his hand laid over his large belly. 

“I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m in enough pain physically; I’d rather not be in emotional pain, too.” 

Fundy doesn’t like that answer, but he takes it because that’s all Tommy says until Phil and Niki arrive. 

By the time Phil and Niki rush in with a box of tools and handfuls of towels, Fundy’s hand is red with pain, and Tommy is exhaustedly panting, no longer able to discern between sharp pains. 

Phil and Niki have been debriefed of the situation, but seeing Tommy in pain like this and so vulnerable was still jarring. 

Niki asks permission to check Tommy, which Tommy apprehensively agrees to. 

“Tommy, you’re fully dilated. When you feel the next strong contraction, I need you to give us a large push. Can you do that?” Niki informs. Her voice is steady and calm, but Fundy knows she is as terrified as everyone in that tent was. She’d never delivered a baby before, but she knew something wasn’t right. 

Tommy gives the nod, and within a few seconds, he’s got his head to his chest, and he’s emitting a guttural cry from his mouth. His eyes are closed tightly, and his hand grips Fundy’s so hard that Fundy is sure it will fall right off. 

Phil comes to Tommy’s side and gives him a stroke on the hair before lightly planting a kiss on the top of his son’s head. 

“You’re doing so well, Tommy.” Phil coaches, “I’m so proud of you. Now give us another big push. We want to meet this baby.” 

Tommy does as he’s told and takes a deep and shaky breath before continuing. Phil counts to ten before telling Tommy to relax a moment. 

Fundy isn’t sure what’s happening anymore or how much time has passed. This process repeats several times over, though. Niki gives Tommy the instruction to push, Phil counts to ten, Tommy squeezes Fundy’s hand incredibly hard, and then Tommy relaxes back into his bed and waits for the instruction to repeat. 

Finally, Niki announces that she can see a little head. The air in the mood seems to improve as there’s finally an end in sight. 

“That’s your baby, Tommy. You’re really going to have a baby!” Phil explains. 

Tommy leans his head into Phil’s chest. “It hurts so much, dad.”

Tomy never calls Phil dad. Hearing this makes Phil a little weak. “I know, son. But you’re so close. Just a few more really big pushes, and you can meet that little baby, okay?”

Just like Phil promised, after only a few more pushes, there’s someone else in the tent. There’s a high-pitched cry, and Fundy looks over to see Niki lifting something purple and bloody and honestly quite gross onto Tommy’s chest. 

Tommy bursts into tears right away. 

“You’ve got a little girl, Tommy! Congratulations!” Niki smiles. She then motions to Phil to come with her outside, and Phil kisses Tommy’s head and congratulates him before moving out with Niki. Fundy is curious, so he follows them. 

“Phil, I need you to make sure the baby is healthy, give her a checkup. I am going to do everything I can for Tommy, but it doesn’t look good. I’ve got towels down there, but they’re soaking up too fast. I’m afraid he won’t make it, Phil.”

Fundy’s breath hitches. The three rush back inside to see Tommy smiling down at the baby as though nothing is wrong. 

Phil asks if he can examine the baby, but Tommy doesn’t want to give her up. 

“What’s her name?” Fundy asks, trying not the think about the genuine possibility that Tommy wasn’t okay. 

Phil takes the baby from Tommy’s arms and goes to get her clean. She wails in protest, which breaks Tommy's heart. 

Tommy whispers to Fundy, “It’s Clementine. I’m going to call her Clementine.”

Tommy says that he’s tired, but Niki asks him not to sleep yet. 

The teenager doesn’t listen it seems because his eyes close after a moment. 

Niki looks up, and panic shoots across her face. 

“Fundy, do you feel a pulse?” She asks. She looks genuinely terrified. 

Fundy puts his fingers to Tommy’s wrist. He expects the familiar rhythm to greet back at him. As a soldier, he’s used to finding a pulse and can usually do it very quickly. The fact he can’t feel anything makes worry and panic shoot across every nerve. 

Fundy shakes Tommy rapidly. “Wake up, idiot!” He yells. Tommy remains peacefully asleep. He’s never a heavy sleeper. 

“You’ve got a little girl out here. You can’t leave her.” Fundy sobs as he tries to wake the boy. 

He remembers hearing that Wilbur had died and left him and the pain of that moment. 

“I know how that feels. She needs you, Tommy. You can’t leave like this.” 

Niki puts a gentle hand on Fundy’s shoulder. She’s already crying gallons of tears. 

She shakes her head, but Fundy won’t allow it. 

“Wake up, asshole. It’s not your time to die.” 

“He’s gone, Fundy.” Niki states. Fundy already knew this, but hearing her say the words makes the pit of Fundy’s stomach drop. “Let him go in peace.”

The baby and Phil are still blissfully unaware that the count is back down to four people. As she has been named, Clementine is wrapped in blankets and being kissed by a tired but proud Phil. 

When Phil sees Niki’s sad eyes and Fundy with his head in his hands, he doesn’t respond. He doesn’t want to hear it; he already knows. 

It’s a while before Fundy returns to L’Manberg. Phil takes the responsibility upon himself to raise Clementine as best he can. Fundy and Niki promise to help. Phil holds her close as he trudges back to Technoblades house, which is where he was when he’d got Fundy’s call. Phil wasn’t quite sure how he was going to explain the events to Techno, but that was a problem for another time. His main focus was making it back to the house. 

Niki told Fundy that she was going to get Tommy’s things in order and get someone to help her prep him for a funeral. Fundy offered to help, but she assured him it would be best if he went home and got some sleep. 

“Tommy is your-Tommy _was_ your family member. I can’t ask you to see him like that. You and Phil-with Techno and Ghostbur, if they’re up to it- need to make arrangements for a funeral in the morning. I think it’s best for you right now is to get some good food and try your best to go to sleep.” 

Fundy walks back to L’Manberg, unable to get the image of Tommy out of his mind. It surely will haunt him forever. He tries instead to put his attention into thinking about how Tommy would want to be buried.

Fundy comes back to L’Manberg and is greeted by Tubbo smiling widely. 

“Hey, Fundy!” He cheerfully says. Fundy doesn’t answer. It feels wrong. Everything feels wrong. 

“Fundy, are you okay?” Quackity asks, genuine concern rising in his voice. 

Just asking about the events of the last few hours send a tidal wave of tears to Fundy’s eyes. As if on cue, Fundy sobs uncontrollably and falls to the ground. 

Tubbo, Ranboo, and Quackity share a concerned look between them before kneeling down and hugging Fundy tight. They don’t say anything for a long time. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tubbo finally asks. 

“Maybe we can help,” Quackity suggests. 

Fundy pulls away and shakes his head. He tries to speak, but only sobs can leave his mouth. 

“Tommy.” He finally manages. This sets Tubbo on edge. He hasn’t heard from or about Tommy in months. Why was Fundy so upset about Tubbo’s best friend?

“What about Tommy, Fundy?” says Quackity.

Fundy tries to say more, but the image of Tommy’s body comes back, and he forces out a terrible cry. 

Tubbo is in a complete panic. He has an awful feeling he knows what happened, but he needs to hear it in order to be true. 

After a few more harsh sobs, Fundy finally manages to utter two words. “Tommy’s dead.”

They float in the air for a while. Nobody says anything. Shock hits the three first. 

“You’re lying,” Tubbo commands. “Nobody’s heard from Tommy in months.” 

“I watched him die today, Tubbo. I watched his body go limp. I felt his pulse stop. I-” Fundy angrily shouts back before Ranboo grasps him in a hug. 

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Ranboo recites. Ranboo has vague memories of Tommy. He remembers that the boy was a friend. He feels a sense of sadness, but he isn’t sure how to cry. He does, instead, what he knows he can do and hugs Fundy with all his might. 

Fundy’s breath catches for a moment before he reciprocates the hug. 

Tubbo walks away. Quackity follows the president closely. 

“Surely that can’t be true. If Tommy were actually- you know- how could Fundy have watched it? Why was Fundy even there?” Tubbo asks. He’s mostly talking to himself, but Quackity responds. 

“Are you okay, Mr. President?” 

Tubbo whips his head around. Quackity’s eyes are sad, and Tubbo can see Fundy wailing in the distance against Ranboo. This doesn’t feel real. Surely Tommy isn’t dead. 

“Please tell me I’m dreaming,” Tubbo whispers. 

“I don’t think we are, sir.” Quackity regretfully informs. 

Tubbo covers his mouth with a hand. 

“I think I need to be alone. Have a good night, Quackity.”

Quackity only nods in confirmation. 

Fundy eventually has Ranboo take him home. Fundy’s run out of tears, but his face is still wet and red from crying. 

Ghostbur knocks at the door. That is literally the last person he wants to see at this moment. Ghostbur always manages to put Fundy in a bad mood, and Fundy didn’t want sadness to somehow get worse by having to break to the ghost of his dad that Tommy had died. 

Ranboo goes to the door to tell Ghosbtur that it isn’t a good time, but Ghostbur uses the door being opened like an invitation to come in. 

“My little champion! I heard you cry and thought you were in need of some blue!” Ghostbur announces. He has three buckets of clear putty for Fundy, and he holds the buckets out toward the fox. 

Fundy shakily accepts the presents and turns them a deep blue as soon as he goes to pick up the contents of the buckets. 

“Oh.” Ghostbur cajoles. It usually takes a moment for the blue to turn unless you’re deeply troubled. Ghostbur knows this. 

“Can I help cure your sadness?” Ghostbur asks. It’s an innocent request, but Fundy can’t bear explaining again what he witnessed.

It’s Ranboo who tries to explain. “Tommy passed away this afternoon, Ghostbur.” 

Ghostbur thinks for a moment, unsure how to process this news. It’s like he's constantly happy brain refuses to acknowledge something so sad. 

“Tommy’s gone?” He asks. Ghostbur’s voice is as small as a child. 

Ranboo nods silently. Fundy chokes back a sob. 

“What about the baby, are they gone, too?”

Ranboo looks very confused. Fundy hadn’t begun to explain Tommy’s daughter to anyone just yet. It was hard enough to explain the death. 

“No, she’s with Phil.” Fundy musters. Ghostbur nods. 

“That’s good. Phil will take care of her. Is that how Tommy died? Having the baby?”

Ghostbur may have few memories, but he is very intuitive. Fundy cries into his arm, and Ghostbur takes that as a yes. 

“What is he talking about?” Ranboo asks Fundy. 

“Yeah, wait, how did you know about the baby? None of us even knew Tommy was pregnant. Did he tell you?”

Ghostbur shakes his head and smiles. “Oh no, Tommy didn’t tell me. And I never pried. He needed a lot of blue. I just put pieces together that he was having a baby. I wasn’t sure, but then Tommy asked me to leave, and I never found out if my suspicions were true. Never mentioned it because I wasn’t sure if it was the truth.”

Fundy is silent. He hangs his head in sadness. Ranboo is still utterly confused about the exchange. 

“Did he get the chance to name her?” Ghostbur asks. 

“Yeah,” Fundy sighs, “He named her Clementine.”

Ghostbur hums. “That’s a nice name. Clementine. I’m very excited to meet her. Do you think Phil will be welcome to guests?”

Fundy doesn’t think Phil is ready to have a reminder of the first dead son right now, and he tells Ghosbtur this. Ghostbur seems to understand. 

“I’m going to go get you some more blue. We’re going to need a lot more until Tommy respawns as a ghost."

Fundy hadn’t even considered that Tommy would become a ghost-like Wilbur had. He was so caught up in grief he never gave it a thought. Would he lose sad memories, too? Would he be as difficult to deal with? Would he be a constant reminder of sadness? 

Funeral arrangements are made, and Tubbo allows for Tommy to be buried in L’Manberg. Practically the entire server has joined in remembering Tommy’s life. It’s the first time most people meet Clementine, as well. 

Tommy still hasn’t become a ghost yet. By this point with Wilbur, Ghostbur was already respawned and social. It's been four days, after all, so surely he would have spawned. 

Phil stands at the back holding a squirmy newborn. She doesn't know what’s happening, but she’s crying with everyone else anyway. This is the first time it feels real for Phil. For the past four days, Phil had been so wrapped up in caring for all of Clementine’s needs that he hadn’t given himself a moment to mourn his son. 

Techno is never one to cry, but he is riddled with awful grief for his brother. When Phil had tearfully informed him of Tommy’s passing only minutes after Clementine’s birth, Techno was still in so much shock about seeing a literal newborn baby in his house that he hadn’t registered Tommy's death. 

Dozens of people dressed in black with their heads in their hands as they put flowers on top of a casket seemed too surreal for Technoblade. Framed photos of Tommy’s wide smile through the years adorn the memorial. There are pictures of Tommy with a younger Technoblade, too, in a happier time. 

Everyone had been informed that Tommy had died during childbirth, but seeing a wailing baby show up in Phil’s arms was still a large shock. 

Tubbo especially had a hard time grasping this information. A long time ago, when Fundy was a screaming toddler, and Tubbo and Tommy had been scabby-knees children, they had both sworn to never have kids. They were only two years older than Fundy, but they made a promise that children were too annoying and needy to ever want. 

And now Tubbo was face to face with Tommy’s newborn daughter. The daughter that was the very reason Tommy was no longer alive. His best friend had _died_ for the red-faced screaming goblin before him to be born. 

Needless to say, Tubbo wasn’t fond of Clementine for this. 

In some ways, Tubbo had blamed this infant for Tommy’s passing. It wasn’t fair, he knew, but it was the easiest rationalization for him. 

Everyone is sat in the chairs mourning the loss of a genuine friend. Tommy’s death hurts everyone in some form or another. 

Ghostbur remains seated next to Tommy’s grave. The dirt on top is still fresh and adorned with brightly colored flowers. Everyone else has gone home and about their lives, but Ghostbur remains immobile. 

“Dad?” Fundy asks. 

Ghostbur looks up with sad eyes. He’s clutching blue for dear life. 

“Gone on without me, Fundy. When Tommy respawns, I want to be the first person he sees.”

Fundy sighs and goes to sit down with Wilbur. 

“I don’t think he’s coming back, Wil,” Fundy admits. He also fiddles with some sticky blue in his hands. 

“He’s been gone four days now. If he was going to be a ghost, he would already be.” 

“No.” Ghostbur retorts. His voice echoes harshly. Fundy winces at the loud and demanding cry. 

“I have this gut feeling that he’s going to come back. I just know it.” 

Fundy can’t see a point in arguing, so he just sits with Ghostbur and admires the flowers. The father and son sit in peaceful silence for hours. In some odd way, it’s the nicest moment they’ve shared in a while. 

As Clementine grows up, Phil can’t stop being reminded of watching Tommy growing up. She shares the same first word as Tommy: “no.” 

Clementine learns to ride a horse and hold a sword and learns to sing and bake. She grows up surrounded by love from her found family. 

It’s hard, though, to always be compared to a family member. Every birthday people tell her how much she looks like Tommy. She always sees happy pictures of a young boy and puts flowers under the tree next to his grave every year on that day. 

But she doesn’t even know who this man is. Sure, she knows that Tommy is her dad. She’s not allowed to forget that. But everything she hears about him is second-hand and murky from years of him being gone. 

Clementine always hears stories of Tommy’s wild adventures. People love to tell them to her. When she was little, she would always ask for more stories and cling to every word. She loved hearing about her dad. 

As a teenager now, Clem felt only sadness hearing stories. She was reminded that it was her fault that all of these people had lost a friend in a lot of ways. She saw how Tubbo, her dad’s best friend, would struggle to look her in the eyes. She knew that people only saw her as a bitter memory of Tommy. 

It hurt. 

Clementine’s eighteenth birthday wasn’t much different than every year before. She ate cake for breakfast and wore Techno’s crown with the words “birthday girl” written on a sticky note attached to the front. She was given presents from dozens of people that she wasn’t related to but called family nonetheless. 

And then, at the end of the day, she and Phil would sit under the tree. Ghostbur would always join them as the sun went down. He did this every night. Clem felt sad every birthday as her grandfather wept over her dad’s grave. 

As much of a happy day it was, it was a sad day. It was the anniversary of Clementine’s birth, but also the anniversary of Tommy’s death. 

Phil had a hard day for Clementine’s eighteenth. She was finally at an age Tommy had never been. Tommy was seventeen when he had Clementine, and so he was seventeen at the end of his painfully short life. 

Now, Clementine had officially spent more time on earth than Tommy ever had. 

That realization shattered Phil. It hurt everyone as they realized this. They wanted to happily celebrate Clementine becoming an official adult, but it was hard when she was a reminder that Tommy never got to be an adult. He wouldn’t be the one to give congratulations on making it to adulthood. 

Clem understood this fact, and she understood why it made everyone sad. There’s so much she wishes Tommy could see. 

She wishes that Tommy could tell her himself that he was proud of her. She wishes that he could make Phil smile the way he did in the old photos. She wishes she could ask him the questions about herself she had never been able to get answers for.

There’s only one star in the sky. It’s the minutes in between night and day: twilight. The sun has gone down, but the sky isn’t totally dark yet. Eret had once told Clementine that during twilight is when magical things can happen. 

“If there’s a god out there, if there’s any sort of someone that can hear me, please listen,” Clementine whispers.

She closes her eyes, “Please bring back my dad for me. Please bring him back. I need him.”

She opens her eyes, but nothing has changed. She blinks hard, but Phil and Ghostbur are still the only ones sat by the graveside with her.

The three finally finish and say goodbye to Tommy and head home for the night. Clementine should have looked back, But she hadn’t. 

Particles float around the headstone for a moment. They swirl and dance before coming together and forming a shape. 

After a moment, the shape appears to look increasingly human. 

The human is grey and translucent. It yawns and stretches its arms above its head. It rubs its eyes and blinks around in an effort to recognize where it is.

When it finally lands its eyes on the White House, it smiles. 

A wide, toothy grin That's unmistakable to anyone who sees it.

Someone has returned to the Dream SMP.


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude- Clem and Tommy meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know where I'm going with this. This was originally a one-shot, so I didn't originally have an idea of how this would work. I'm writing based on popular demand here, so hopefully, you like this!

Clementine was painting in her room upstairs when she heard hurried footsteps approach the cabin she lived in with her uncle and grandpa. 

There was muffled and exasperated talking, so she put down her brush and went downstairs. 

Uncle Karl looked like he’d run from L’Manberg and was out of breath. Phil was holding him up and asking what happened, but Karl was only mumbling and gesturing. 

“Spit it out, idiot.” Techno threatens Karl. 

“It’s Tommy.” 

Every muscle in Clementine’s body freezes, and they all want to simultaneously give out. Nobody mentioned Tommy to her unless it was a bittersweet memory. What could Karl possibly say about her Dad that would get him so flustered?

“What about my dad?” She hisses back. She didn’t mean for it to sound so serious and demanding. She loves Karl. She didn’t mean to scare him. But Karl flinches at her before nodding and speaking again, having finally caught some of his breath.

“He’s a ghost. He’s back.”

Karl explains that Bad was at the tree in the morning and saw someone sitting in the grass admiring the flowers. It was upon closer inspection he noticed the person was grey and translucent, and even closer inspection that this person was Tommyinnit. 

“We don’t know how or why, but he’s back. He was just sitting on top of his grave like nothing happened.” Karl explains. 

“What about his memories?” Phil questions, “When Ghostbur returned he’d lost most of his memories. Does Tommy remember anything?”

“I don’t know much about that.” Karl awkwardly shifts. He looks up to see Clementine nervously fiddling with her braid across from him. 

“He was asking for you, though, Clem. Asking where his baby was. I think you should go see him.”

Clementine goes numb. She doesn’t know what to do. 

So she timidly follows as her feet take her to L’Manberg. Phil and Karl walk fast, so she keeps pace. 

It doesn’t hit her until she’s there that she’s  _ nervous _ to meet her dad. 

She never knew the  _ Wilbur _ that everyone talks about. She’s only known the loveable pal ghostbur. What she does know is that he changed alot upon dying. He was like a totally new person. 

Would the image she’s conjured up of her father, the brave solider and caring and loyal friend, be shifted by meeting his ghost form? Would he hate her, call her a coward for contemplating this? 

And then she sees two ghosts by the waterfront. She recognizes him from the photographs, but she already feels like she knows him. 

President Tubbo rubs the back of his neck. “He has a lot of his memories. We tried asking him what he knows, but he’s just very adamant that he sees his baby. He thinks we’ve taken you, Clementine. We showed him a photo of you, but that only calmed him enough to get him to talk with Ghostbur.”

Clementine’s feet wander over before Tubbo finished the debriefing. 

“Clementine!” Ghostbur shouts as he waves his hands to her. She meekly waves back, but her focus is on the boy next to her. 

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight. He was  _ younger _ than her. He was still 17 in his ghost form. His hair was matted against his face and he looked tired despite an eighteen year sleep. 

“Tommy, here’s your baby!” Ghostbur points. Tommy only stares. 

Tommy recognizes her. He’s not sure how, because upon racking his brain he can’t figure out who she is but he recognizes the girl in the braid standing in front of him. She’s tall, practically his height, and she’s got paint marks on her cheek and stained blue clothes. She seems so familiar, yet Tommy can’t figure it out. 

Ghostbur connects the dots for him. 

_ This is your baby _ .

Somehow, she was completely grown up. Last night, though, she was just a newborn in Phil’s arms as he whisked her away outside the tent. So then why did he wake up in L’Manberg, and why was everyone so old. Why was his baby so old?

“Dad.” She gasps. They both don’t say much, rendering themselves unable to. 

“I don’t understand.” Tommy finally admits. 

“What do you mean?” Ghostbur asks, unable to read the palpable tension that is filling the space. 

“Why is everyone so much older? My baby is just a little newborn. She’s pink and squirmy and she’s perfect and I want to hold her. Why won’t Phil let me hold her?” Tommy sobs. 

Clementine isn’t sure what to do, but luckily some other people are here to swoop in. 

“Why is he crying?” Phil asks. 

“He wants to hold Clementine, but I told him that she’s an adult now. She doesn’t want to be held.”

“I’d be okay with being held.” She whispers. 

Phil turns to her.

Tommy looks up and wipes away his tear before hugging her so tight she might pass out. There’s something familiar in the cold grey touch. It feels like she belongs in his hug. She digs her face into his shoulder and cries with him. Everyone around them must be crying, too. 

“What happened, baby?” Tommy asks. 

“You died, Dad.” She admits. She feels heavy. 

He’s silent. “Yeah, I figured.” 

“Why are you back?” Techno asks. It’s not accusatory, it’s curious. 

“Clementine called me here. I saw Fundy and Niki and I heard my baby crying for me and I closed my eyes to rest for just a moment. And then I heard a voice. I don’t know how I knew it was Clem’s but I knew. And she said that she needed me, so I woke up. And I’m not sure why I’m like this,” Tommy gestures to himself, “But I’m piecing it together.”

Clementine wants to cry again. Everything feels so sharp. She feels the grass against her ankle, as her canvas shoes are low and were quickly put on. She’s aware of the clothes on her body. They feel awful now, everything feels awful. 

“Let’s get you all inside. I think it's best we sit down.” Tubbo reasons. 

And with trembling feet, Clementine walks in to the White House. 

And for the first time, her dad is by her side. 


End file.
